大象传媒

In February 1941 my father Robert Prys Owen was I think either an able seaman or Midshipman with the Blue Funnel Line. He was born in Pencaenewydd, N Wales close to a Plas that was one of the Holt family homes. He was returning across the Atlantic on the MV Anchises when the ship was attacked by a bomber; this is that story he told one of his relatives shortly afterwards, and that was written down in a wartime notebook.

Feb 27th 1941.

At 8.30am the wireless operator received a blue warning from Lands End.

At 9.23am the Anchises was attacked by a lone Dornier flying at the height of 200ft. The attack came from over the stern. When two bombs were dropped by the ship without doing any damage, then he attacked from forward and two more bombs (which missed the stern but damaged the propeller). Again he attacked from the stern and dropped two more bombs on the starboard side, which sprung the plates, thus letting water into the engine room and stokehold. The plane came back twice, each time machine gunning and shelling; trying for the lifeboats. In the meantime our gunners stuck to their Hotchkiss guns and had fired around 70 rounds of ammunition before both our guns jammed, but only after tracer bullets were seen to enter the plane, and seemed to have silenced one of their guns. Their engine was heard to cough as they made off. The only casualty was one china-man, with a bullet through the fleshy part of his thigh.

At 10.30am the Captain gave the order for all passengers, stewards and firemen to take to the boats, as the ship had started to list and the barometer was going down. The sailors stayed on board in case we could salvage her. All six boats got away without a single hitch.

At noon the carpenter took soundings and reported 4B and 5 dry, all hatches dry but water up to the second platform of the engine room. The Captain sent us round to look for food. We went to the bake-house and found plenty of bread, although nothing was found in the pantry and galley 鈥� the storerooms were all locked and the storekeeper had the keys with him in the one of the boats!

At 2.00pm we received an acknowledgement from the commander of the Western Approaches to our SOS telling us that a man of war was sent to our assistance.

At 2.30pm the Captain told us that we could go anywhere in the ship and 鈥榯ake anything that we liked, but to leave the booze alone!鈥� Just then the sparks received another blue warning from Lands End. So this was not our chance to explore, as we had to go down below and take cover. By now the wind was rising.

At 4.00pm the carpenter took another sounding and the water was halfway up to the third platform in the engine room, just over the cylinders. All except the lookout man remained below 鈥榯il dark. From 4.00pm onwards the carpenter took soundings every hour, and the water seemed to be gaining about a foot an hour. At 9.00pm he reported 4B tank leaking through the watertight doors and 2foot 2inches of water in. By 10,00pm no 5 tank had started leaking.

Earlier at 7.30pm, the wireless operator received a message from the man-o-war, saying she was 20 miles north of us proceeding at 10knots and that she should be up to us by 9.30; and if she wasn鈥檛 we were to burn a flare every half hour. At 9.30 she was not in sight so a flare was lit and one of the boats answered us. As we couldn鈥檛 put the flare out, we had to throw it over the side and still it wouldn鈥檛 go out! Every half hour after that we sent a rocket up, and at 12.30am a destroyer morsed us a reply. In response, the mate morsed her to look to the boats first. At about this time I was sent with a message to Mr Mathias, the second mate. He was with the wireless operator. I told him the captain wanted him, and he asked me to keep the wireless operator company for five minutes. The five minutes was to last for the next 12 hours.

Feb 28th 1941.

10.00am. Barry came to the wireless room and said that it was all over. We thought it was going down there and then, but he meant that a corvette had come in to sight over the horizon aft. So the sparks said to me 鈥淵ou take these code books to the old man and I鈥檒l bring the log book.鈥�

Down to the old man we went, he was standing on the after end of the boat deck starboard side with Mr Morgan the first mate, discussing the best way to lower the lifeboat with such a sea running. When we joined them the old man told me to dump the code books over the side and make sure they sank.

10.30am The corvette came up and sent a message over on the daylight mercury lamp, saying he would go round us a couple of times pouring oil on the water. It came up as near as possible to the ship. The old man old us to get the boat ready and to pour all the oil we had on the prom deck into the water. I went into the lifeboat with R D Jones; and the stuff we dumped out included 4 dozen ice cream cups, 50lbs of sugar,5lbs of tea, 10 blankets, 2 dozen dinner plates, 13 bottles of gin, 4 bottles of whiskey, 5 bottles of brandy, 20 packages of personal goods, 2 sextants, 4 compasses and the wireless set.

At 11.00am Captain James gave the order to abandon ship. Al and Dougie (2 AB鈥檚) were detailed to lower the boat, while all hands bar the skipper got in the boat (I was in the forward end). Then Al and Dougie lowered the boat to within 6ft of the water slowly, and the last six feet with a rush, but the forward end jammed. Everyone thought their last minute had come. But Al managed to clear it just in time and saved the boat from turning head over heels. The boat dropped with an even keel and Al and Dougie climbed down to the boat. Captain James tried to do the same but fell and hurt his side on the gunwhale.

We then tried to push the lifeboat from the ship side using the oars, but the oars were old and snapped and we had to use our hands to prevent the boat from being trapped under the ships counter. We then drifted out from the lee of the ship, the waves were 40 feet high, and we were at the mercy of the wind and sea.

The corvette (Kingcup) then had to manoeuvre to a position to get alongside, but in doing so the lifeboat was sucked under the corvettes鈥� bow and smashed in two. It was then that the . . .

The written account ends here, but I guess it was going to continue:- 鈥榯he captain was lost.鈥� After the war my father spoke highly of Captain James, and for a long time kept the cap badge from the captains鈥� cap later given to him by his widow, if my youthful recollection of this story is correct.

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